Afridi, who is well-known for his reckless comments has said that bilateral series between India and Pakistan won't be possible until the Narendra Modi government is in power.
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Afridi told Arab News in an interview, "IPL is a very big brand & it's an excellent opportunity for, whether it’s Babar Azam or many other Pakistani players to go & play under pressure & share dressing rooms. So in my opinion Pakistani players are missing a big opportunity by not playing in IPL."
"The government of Pakistan is always ready but with the present regime [in India] there are no such chances of [resuming] cricket relations, of [Pakistan-India] series. With Modi in power, I don't see it's going to happen," Shahid Afridi was quoted as saying by Arab News.
"No doubt, the way I have enjoyed cricket in India; I have always appreciated the love and respect that I have gotten from the people of India. And now when I speak on social media, I get many messages from India and I reply to many people. I believe that my overall experience of India has been excellent," Shahid Afridi said when he was asked if he was more loved in India than in Pakistan.
The first edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), in 2008, saw Pakistani stars such as Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal, etc feature in the premier T20 tournament. However, the script changed for the Pakistani contingent post the horrific 26/11 terror attack in Taj Hotel, in Mumbai, as political relations got severely affected between India-Pakistan.
Following this, the Pakistani stars were banned from participating in the cash-rich league. Since then, political relations continue to remain affected as both the cricketing countries do not even play bilateral series and only meet during multi-nation or ICC tournaments.
The IPL got underway on September 19 after a massive delay caused due to the coronavirus outbreak.